Jeanette Hughes has been a member of Warrington British Sign Language Choir since it relaunched in 2011.

In her second column for Weekend the Penketh resident shares her experiences of being on stage with Pixie Lott and what it was like meeting David Gest

SIGNING, meeting and chatting with Pixie Lott was our highlight at Warrington Festival this month.

Pixie is such a lovely person and a lot taller than you might expect. She and all of her team have been so generous in letting the choir share her stage in Bank Park.

We also discovered that deaf awareness is something Pixie is passionate about.

Her number one hit, All About Tonight, is actually a song we have signed for a couple of years, so to be signing with the woman herself was just amazing.

And after weeks of promotion, practising and polishing our performance leading up to September 19, we were finally ready.

Days like these go by so fast. The sound check was at 5pm and the rehearsal went through with hardly a hitch. Then after a break we waited backstage.

At 9.20pm it was time to go on and first on stage was Yvonne Davidson, who was lead sign that night. A choir member from the beginning, Yvonne did a sterling job.

Pixie gave the choir a fab introduction and it was lovely to see everyone smiling and having a great time.

They all really got behind us singing and even the weather was kind to everyone that night. Such a great festival.

All About Tonight was the last song of the evening to close the concert, which we felt was such an honour.

Now the nights are drawing in, an outside concert becomes quite dark backstage. At one point I was speaking on the phone to Pixie's manager in the darkness, only for him to say: "I can see you, turn around and look to your left."

He was standing at the side of me about a yard away. D'oh!

Have I mentioned at one point our choir, while waiting to go on, were sitting at a table sewing?

You know who you are choir members...how rock and roll we are!

Pixie is such a talented singer and actress but what made our night was that she made the time to come and talk to the choir before we went on stage.

I also caught up with another legend this month – the great David Gest.

David is fab, a real character who has a lifetime's worth of interesting and funny stories of his experiences and his friends.

Michael Jackson was his best friend before his untimely death.

We chatted about the Warrington British Sign Language Choir and the music we sign to raise awareness. We chatted about the choir's upcoming Michael Jackson's Thriller signing.

He told me he had seen our pictures and told me he thought the work the choir are doing in raising deaf awareness was amazing and he loves what we do.

Praise indeed from someone who has worked in the entertainment industry for 45 years.

See you next month

Jeanette